Today we’d like to introduce you to Kia Wright.
Kia, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I was little, I was always making something. Whether it was a drawing, a movie with our old camcorder or making money selling crafts, I loved creating.
In college, I did a double degree in Arts & Technology and Marketing. I had to take four semesters of computer science courses for my Arts & Technology degree, which I hated. My exposure to it left me considering writing code to be very boring and very hard.
So, it was ironic when my first job out of college was a hybrid designer/developer role at a small startup. My boss was an incredible mentor (who I’m still in touch with today) and taught me that coding was just like solving a puzzle.
Fast forward a few years and I was working at a small tech firm in downtown Dallas. I was thrown into the deep end of a complex project and there were times, I thought it absolutely impossible for me to accomplish certain tasks. I made my way through and came out a much stronger programmer.
During this time, I was doing CrossFit and struggling to figure out optimal nutrition for training, as well as aesthetics. I did the Paleo diet, then I worked with a bodybuilding coach on nutrition and then, I counted macros. The programs I tried either left me soft and strong or lean and weak.
Eventually, my boyfriend – who owns a CrossFit gym and runs nutrition challenges there – and I figured out some valuable things from our personal experiments in nutrition and decided we had the knowledge to create the program we’d been looking for. He wrote the formulas for personalizing a meal plan and I developed a web app around the meal plan. We started a private coaching program and helped clients not only look but feel better, which was incredibly rewarding.
I was working full time and trying to keep up with my side hustle, which was steadily growing. When I realized that there wasn’t a role at my company that I was working towards, I knew it was time to move on.
Though I knew what I wanted, I didn’t have a plan on how to get there. I began working with a career coach, Majo Molfino. Not only did Majo help me define a plan and make the transition into a full-time business owner, but she helped strengthen my confidence in my creative work and voice. It was enormously helpful to have someone who made that transition herself guide me on how to do it.
Now, I’m running Adaptive Nutrition full-time alongside my boyfriend and I feel so fortunate to spend my time blending my passions with my skillset.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Though there’s still so much to learn, these are a few things that I’ve found valuable on my journey so far:
1. Don’t get too comfortable. If it’s hard, it means you’re learning and growing. Embrace the challenges and look for the silver linings.
2. If you’re not sure how to do something, ask an expert. Working with a career coach made my pie in the sky idea about working on my side hustle full-time a reality. Defining concrete steps to get from where you are to where you want to be is key.
3. Be a go-getter. It’s been helpful to realize that no one knows what they’re doing, and everyone is just trying to figure things out as they go along. And that much of the time, talent or intelligence isn’t the difference between those who have what they want and those who don’t – it’s just a matter of going for it.
what should we know about Adaptive Nutrition? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I co-own Adaptive Nutrition, where we help people not only look but also feel and perform their very best. We aim to give people the tools and knowledge to confidently move forward to reach their goals, whether related to looks, training or health.
We focus on the portions and timing of meals, as well as cut out inflammatory foods for six weeks. As a result, not only do our clients lose weight, but they have more energy and mental clarity. They feel significantly less anxiety. They come off of medications they’ve been on for years. They no longer have issues that medications couldn’t help. They gain confidence that they finally know what we were never taught growing up – how food affects both your mind and body. When you truly experience that difference, making the healthy choice becomes easy. This way of eating becomes sustainable, not a quick fix “cleanse” or “shred.”
Your health is the foundation of your self. I’m so proud that we’ve created a service that empowers people to take a meaningful step towards achieving their best self.
Do you have a lesson or advice you’d like to share with young women just starting out?
Discomfort means you’re learning and growing. If you can get comfortable being uncomfortable, you’ll be able to go places most people want but are afraid to.
Contact Info:
- Website: adaptivenutrition.us
- Email: kia@adaptivenutrition.us
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kiakatherine/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/adaptive.nutrition/
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